FIJI’S National Development Plan (NDP) will only achieve its vision of empowering every Fijian if implementation is treated as seriously as planning, says Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad.
Speaking at the second workshop on the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the NDP in Suva yesterday, he said the Government was shifting its focus from planning to execution, ensuring the plan does not “sit on a shelf gathering dust”.
“The National Development Plan is deeply rooted in the realities we face every day, and as we said very clearly that the three-year and five-year parts of the National Development Plan are getting ourselves back to basics,” Prof Prasad said.
“At its core lies a powerful and unifying vision — empowering the people of Fiji through unity. This vision is more than words; it is a pledge that no Fijian will be left behind.”
He said the three-year and five-year components of the plan aimed to get Fiji “back to basics”, with policies, projects, and budgets fully aligned to national goals. He also said that 50 implementation books had been developed, each outlining clear outputs, responsible agencies, timelines, and performance indicators.
“We have made significant progress aligning ministry strategies and budgets with national goals, but the real challenge now is translating these into tangible results. Good policy is also good politics when it delivers real change.”
Prof Prasad said that implementation required breaking down bureaucratic barriers and strengthening coordination. He urged participants to be ambitious, united, and results-driven.
“There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious. When we say we want Fiji to become a high-income country by 2050, we mean business.”
